Thought-Terminating Cliché
Updated 2026-08-05
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Robert Jay Lifton coined the term for a familiar phrase deployed to end cognitive dissonance and complex discussion prematurely. Examples include the boss is always right, that is fate, and caring means losing. The phrase delivers short-term emotional relief while blocking the thinking needed to address the underlying problem, and it recurs among the cognitive distortions catalogued in cognitive behavioral therapy.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Brainwashing Detection: notice when a slogan ends a discussion instead of advancing it. - Avoidance Diagnosis: ask what discomfort the phrase is helping the speaker skip. - Question Restart: replace the cliché with an open question that resumes the inquiry.
Anchor fast decisions
The cliché pairs relief with closure. Because unresolved discomfort is aversive, a familiar phrase that declares the matter settled removes the tension immediately, and the relief reinforces using the phrase again. The problem stays unsolved, and the habit strengthens each time the phrase is used.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought-terminating_clich%C3%A9verified
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